Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Close Approach of Asteroid 2013 XY8

M.P.E.C. 2013-X44, issued on 2013, December 08, reports the discovery of the asteroid 2013 XY8 (discovery magnitude 17.7) by Catalina Sky Survey (MPC code 703 ) on images taken on December 07.1 with a 0.68-m Schmidt + CCD.

2013 XY8 has an estimated size of 31 m - 68 m (based on the object's absolute magnitude H=24.7) and it will have a close approach with Earth at about 2 LD (Lunar Distances = ~384,000 kilometers) or 0.0051 AU (1 AU = ~150 million kilometers) at 1117 UT on 2013, December 11. This asteroid will reach the peak magnitude ~14.4 between December 10 & 11.

We performed some follow-up measurements of this object on 2013, December 10.6, remotely from the Faulkes Telescope South (MPC code E10), through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD (Faulkes Telescope is operated by Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network).

Below you can see our image taken with the asteroid at magnitude ~15 and moving at ~78.0 "/min. At the moment of the close approach 2013 XY8 will move at ~151"/min. Click on the image below to see a bigger version. North is up, East is to the left (the asteroid is trailed in the image due to its fast speed).

Below you can see a short animation showing the movement of 2013 XY8 (four consecutive 30-second exposure). Click here or on the thumbnail for a bigger version:

Comets & Asteroids news

Welcome to our Astronomy blog, devoted in particular to Comets & Neo and related topics. This blog is maintained by the Team of observers of Remanzacco Observatory in Italy, particularly active in the study of the small bodies of the Solar System.